Crime in Hawaii 1997 (Semi-Annual)

Crime in Hawaii fell 10.4% during the first half of 1997

February 25, 1998- Attorney General Margery S. Bronster announced the release of the Department of the Attorney General’s 1997 Semi-Annual Crime Summary. The summary shows that the number of serious crimes reported in Hawaii between January and June of last year decreased 10.4% from the number reported during the same period in 1996. However, serious violent crimes, including murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, increased 3.8% to reach the highest peak in the past 11 years. Violent offenses accounted for 5% of the total number of reported serious offenses. The remainder of serious offenses, accounted for by the property crimes of burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft, decreased 11%. The Attorney General cautioned, “We are encouraged to see another big decrease in property crime, however, while violent crime remains comparatively quite low in Hawaii, we are concerned about the recent increase in violent offenses.”

Honolulu was the only county to post decreases in both violent crime (-1.4%) and property crime (-14.8%). Hawaii County showed increases in both categories (27.9% and 8.8%, respectively), while Maui County recorded increases in violent crime (44.4%) and two of the three property crimes. However, a 12% drop in larcenies allowed Maui to post a 6.4% overall decrease in serious offenses. On Kauai, violent crime decreased (-10.0%), but property crime, especially burglary, increased substantially (up 16.5% and 63.5%, respectively), leading to an overall 15.9% increase in reported serious offenses.

In the first half of 1997, arrests of juveniles decreased 2% compared to the first six months of 1996, and adult arrests decreased 10%. Arrests for violent offenses increased 13% among adults and 16% among juveniles. However, given the relatively small number of arrests for violent crimes in Hawaii, these increases are accounted for by, respectively, 66 and 35 more arrests than were reported for the same period in 1996.